The unveiling of a set of priceless illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy at the Uffizi Gallery exposes the unsuspecting Professor Gabriel Emerson and his beloved wife, Julianne, to a mysterious and dangerous enemy.

Unbeknownst to the Professor, the illustrations he secretly acquired years ago were stolen a century earlier from the ruler of Florence’s underworld. Now one of the most dangerous beings in Italy is determined to reclaim his prized artwork and exact revenge on the Emersons, but not before he uncovers something disturbing about Julianne …

Set in the city of Florence, “The Prince” is a prequel novella to “The Raven,” which is the first book in the new Florentine Series Trilogy by Sylvain Reynard. “The Prince” can be read as a standalone but readers of The Gabriel Series may be curious about the connection between The Professor’s world and the dark, secret underworld of “The Prince.”

The Prince is set during the unveiling of Prof. Gabriel Emerson’s priceless illustrations of Dante’s Divine comedy at the Uffizi Gallery. Without knowing that it was stolen centuries ago, the Emersons are placed in harm’s way as the owner of the illustrations return to claim his property.

In this novella, Sylvain Reynard introduces his readers to new characters, in particular, The Prince. The Prince is calculating, ruthless and will destroy anyone who gets in his way, if only to keep the strict order of his principality. But there seems to be a different dimension to him we are offered a glimpse of his past, thus adding questions to the truth of his being, and the torture it seems to be suffering from.

We also get to see familiar faces. The Professor and Julianne are included in the story and provides a striking contrast between light and dark through The Prince’s perceived kindness of Julianne and his own vengeful thoughts. And for Reynard’s loyal fans, the Snarky Narrator is also present, matching witty snarkier words with the darker character.

The novella is filled with romance, excitement, intrigue and mystery. Reynard’s narration is fluid, shifting seamlessly from chasing would be assassins to planning revenge to making love in the softness of a bed. By bridging the gap between the Gabriel Trilogy and The Florentine Series, The Prince sets the tone and whets the reader’s appetite for the upcoming The Raven. As our beloved Professor expresses a foreshadowing of things to come, “Do you think you can sense the darkness?”, there’s no other author I would rather go through it with than with Sylvain Reynard.